[JackNet]

IMAX has always been somewhat mystifying to me when i was younger. I didn't exactly grew up in the mainland US, so I never got the opportunity to go to one. Yes, I'm aware Di$ney Soarin' Over California (and its EPCOT counterpart) did use an IMAX-based system but it was never implied that it was so I dismissed it. It's not until just recently near the middle of high school I've been to the OmnIMAX by the science museum I volunteered at to which then I got to even see one. It was great, it was large, it blew me away. Same can be said with the one in the Kennedy Space Center's visitor park.

I did a little bit of further researching and noticed IMAX had a big heyday throughout the 1990s, but ever since I got to seeing em it has been in a constant downfall. By 2008-2009, they introduced cheaper "IMAX experience" installations (fondly known as LieMAX) and how everyone hated em (Even Roger Ebert himself attached his hatred of LieMAX to his grave). Even I've been into two of them and they just didn't translate well, except for the sound which was more or less comparable. The screen was like any normal theater screen. Not to mention IMAX Corporation's focus on more action blockbusters instead of providing variety by also including those soothing docs that were on the legit venues.

The OmnIMAX dome I've frequented that's just a 30 minute drive closed off for good as the science museum was doing some pretty detrimental crap. While this is a bit off-topic to the topic of IMAX, long story short they downsized everything into the kiddie building and they've since had sour conflict with the county school boards. Ever since that dome one closed off, 2 other installations faced their doom plus another to be replaced with a competing system that might not be able to fill up the screen size. The only comparable venue of its type in the state of Florida is the science center in Orlando despite it using a competing system by SimEx-Iwerks but it is 100% compatible with the 15/70mm film IMAX systems use (Like how Compaqs were IBM compatible systems), the one in Ft Lauderdale (They moved to a digital IMAX laser system but it is able to fill the screen with films made in the 1.43:1 aspect ratio of real IMAX), and the ones at the Kennedy Center.

I understand the cost and obsolescence of film stock is a contributing factor to this issue, but the diminishing number of opportunities to see something in proper IMAX, in favor of the cheap shit the Corp wants to keep up, is inevitably inbound. I have several films I can name from the IMAX back-catalog that I've yet to see how they were meant to be seen. IMAX does imply they have a vault, but it's not a good idea to trust a corporation to preserve material (e.g. Nintendo and Di$ney). Doesn't help that you can't actually tour IMAX's facilities up in Ontario. To me, not being able to see a film as originally presented is as if it never existed at all, and it is a sad reality to live with indeed.